“Star Wars” creator George Lucas has submitted plans to the Marin County (Calif.) Development Agency to build 224 units of affordable workforce and senior housing on 52 acres at Grady Ranch.
This proposal is the latest broadside in an ongoing battle between Lucas and residents of this affluent neighborhood who, in the past, have blocked Lucas’s efforts to expand his production company, Lucasfilms. Two years years ago, Lucas also encountered opposition to his plan to sell land at Grady Ranch to a developer for affordable housing.
Lucas, who has owned land in Marin County since 1978 (that property is called Skywalker Ranch), said he would build the housing himself, but that project lost its financial backing in 2013. The Marin Independent Journal reported at the time that the costs for the project would fall somewhere between $120 million and $150 million.
Now, Lucas—whom Forbes estimates is worth $5.1 billion—says he will finance 100% of the housing project, according to Gary Giacomini, former county supervisor and an attorney for Skywalker Properties.
The initial reactions to Lucas’s latest proposal have been mixed, with one local supervisor worrying about the “cumulative impact” of a project that large on the community. Other supervisors see the proposal as an opportunity to make a dent in the county’s shortage of affordable housing. Thomas Peters, CEO of the Marin Community Foundation, called Lucas’ plan an “extraordinary offer” that underscores the filmmaker’s commitment to the housing needs of the vibrant workforce that drives the region’s vitality. (Ironically, the Foundation was the financial backer that bailed on Lucas’s housing plans two years ago.)
Lucas’s proposal call for 120 two- and three-bedroom workforce rental homes in one four-story cluster and two two-story clusters. There would also be 104 one- and two-bedroom residences for seniors in a four-story cluster, according to the Independent Journal. Zoning at Grady Ranch allows for up to 324 homes at this site, which is where Lucas had originally intended to expand his studio facilities.
The architect for this project is Robert W. Hayes of Sausalito, and the project is being coordinated and managed by PEP Housing of Petaluma, which developed Toussin Senior Apartments, an affordable complex that Hayes had designed.
Applicants for the workforce housing need to be earning less than 80% of the market’s median household income. The seniors applying for housing need to fall within 30% and 60% of that median. Quoting Census estimates, the Washington Post reports that 7.7% of the county’s residences live below its $90,839 median income level.
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2010
Apartment complex will offer affordable green housing
Urban Housing Communities, KTGY Group, and the City of Big Bear Lake (Calif.) Improvement Agency are collaborating on The Crossings at Big Bear Lake, the first apartment complex in the city to offer residents affordable, eco-friendly homes. KTGY designed 28 two-bedroom, two-story townhomes and 14 three-bedroom, single-story flats, averaging 1,100 sf each.
| Oct 13, 2010
Residences bring students, faculty together in the Middle East
A new residence complex is in design for United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, UAE, near Abu Dhabi. Plans for the 120-acre mixed-use development include 710 clustered townhomes and apartments for students and faculty and common areas for community activities.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community center under way in NYC seeks LEED Platinum
A curving, 550-foot-long glass arcade dubbed the “Wall of Light” is the standout architectural and sustainable feature of the Battery Park City Community Center, a 60,000-sf complex located in a two-tower residential Lower Manhattan complex. Hanrahan Meyers Architects designed the glass arcade to act as a passive energy system, bringing natural light into all interior spaces.
| Oct 12, 2010
The Watch Factory, Waltham, Mass.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards — Gold Award. When the Boston Watch Company opened its factory in 1854 on the banks of the Charles River in Waltham, Mass., the area was far enough away from the dust, dirt, and grime of Boston to safely assemble delicate watch parts.
| Sep 13, 2010
Richmond living/learning complex targets LEED Silver
The 162,000-sf living/learning complex includes a residence hall with 122 units for 459 students with a study center on the ground level and communal and study spaces on each of the residential levels. The project is targeting LEED Silver.
| Sep 13, 2010
Committed to the Core
How a forward-looking city government, a growth-minded university, a developer with vision, and a determined Building Team are breathing life into downtown Phoenix.
| Aug 11, 2010
Brown Craig Turner opens senior living studio
Baltimore-based architecture and design firm Brown Craig Turner has significantly expanded its housing design capabilities and expertise with the launch of its new senior living studio.
| Aug 11, 2010
CTBUH changes height criteria; Burj Dubai height increases, others decrease
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)—the international body that arbitrates on tall building height and determines the title of “The World’s Tallest Building”—has announced a change to its height criteria, as a reflection of recent developments with several super-tall buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Morphosis builds 'floating' house for Brad Pitt's Make It Right New Orleans foundation
Morphosis Architects, under the direction of renowned architect and UCLA professor Thom Mayne, has completed the first floating house permitted in the U.S. for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans.The FLOAT House is a new model for flood-safe, affordable, and sustainable housing that is designed to float securely with rising water levels.
